Tips on choosing Sunglasses

There are seven basic face shapes and knowing yours will give you an advantage in choosing a style of sunglasses that will match and flatter your best features.

Diamond shaped
faces have small forehead with a wide temple area. The face narrows to a small chin.

Suggested Sunglasses: Sunglasses that are heavy on top to widen the forehead and jaw. Sunglasses that are square, oval or rimless. Or Sunglasses with a straight top and curved bottom.

Heart shaped
faces traditionally have wide foreheads and high cheek bones but narrow down to the chin.

Suggested Sunglasses: Sunglasses that are either light coloured or rimless. Sunglasses with round tops and square bottoms, aviator or butterfly styles. But do avoid sunglasses with heavy, thick frames

Oblong Face
The face is longer than its width, is narrow and jaw and cheek bones are the same width.

Suggested Sunglasses: Sunglasses should be deep and cover a lot of the middle of the face to redress the proportions. Round, deep or low triangle shapes sunglasses soften the face. Sunglasses with decorative or contrasting frame arms can help accentuate the width.

Oval Face
An oval face has balanced proportions and high cheek bones. The chin is slightly narrower than the forehead.

Suggested Sunglasses: Sunglasses as wide as the broadest part of your face. Sunglasses the same proportions as your face. The good news is that more frame styles suit this face shape than any others!

Round Face
A full round face with few angles. Width and length in same proportions.

Suggested Sunglasses: Sunglasses with a slightly angular shape will narrow and lengthen the face e.g. slight cat eye shape. Sunglasses that are not round or very square as these exaggerate the roundness. Sunglasses that are wider than they are deep. High frames work well.

Square Face
The width and length are in the same proportions with a strong jaw line, broad forehead, wide chin and cheekbones.

Suggested Sunglasses: Sunglasses with curved narrow styles to minimise squareness and add length. Sunglasses should be more horizontal than vertical

Triangular Face:
The jaw is the widest part of the face.

Suggested Sunglasses: Sunglasses that add width to the forehead such as square, aviator or semi-rimless styles. Sunglasses with up swept cat eye styles also work well.

Large Nose

Choose large oversized sunglasses to add balance. Small frames will only accentuate it.

Long Nose

Choose sunglasses with feature side arms to draw attention to the temple away from the nose.

Sunglasses with a double bridge, e.g. aviators, help to make the nose appear shorter.

Short Nose

Sunglasses with high bridges in light colours can help make the nose appear longer

The good news is that some sunglasses and goggles are now available with included or optional interchangeable lens kits.

Smoke - Dark tint for daytime, bright and sunny days. Smoke decreases the sunlight but without distorting colours.

Clear - Untinted for indoor or outdoor use for low-light or night time

Yellow - For overcast and dull days, increases depth perception and visibility

Flash Mirror - Lenses have a partial mirror coating and are suitable for both hi and low light conditions

Smoke Mirrored - A combination of smoked lens with a partial mirror coating

Revo Mirrored - Originally developed by NASA aerospace engineers, these high-tech lenses have 12 layers of titanium dioxide and silica applied onto shatterproof polycarbonate thus providing a brilliant rainbow colour with a scratch resistant surface.

Amber Mirrored - Amber tinted lenses with a partial mirror coating. Amber lenses block out the blue or hazy end of the colour spectrum and are ideal for ski and snowboarding as they enhance contrast thus clarifying shapes, objects and bumps in the snow.

Rose Mirrored - Rose tinted lenses with a partial mirror coating. Rose lenses also enhance contrast and, as with amber mirrored lenses, are ideal for ski and snowboarding as they also block out the hazy, blue colours of the spectrum and enhance contrast to identify bumps, shapes and objects in the snow more clearly

Nowadays sunglasses are designed specifically for different purposes.

Sports sunglasses are designed for a close, aerodynamic fit and sometimes with an optional or interchangeable headband to ensure they stay in place. Always ensure the lenses are shatterproof polycarbonate and not glass.
Sports Sunglasses & Goggles

Cycling and Running Sunglasses
Features are as per the sports sunglasses but usually of a lighter weight.
Cycling and Running Sunglasses

Watersports and Extreme Sports
Watersports sunglasses and goggles should always have polarised / polarized lenses to reduce the reflected glare from the water and it helps if they also float, just in case. Extreme Sports eyewear often has venting systems to maximise airflow and minimise fogging. Apart from shatterproof polycarbonate lenses also look for sunglasses with decentered lenses that are optically correct.
Watersports Sunglasses & Goggles

RX-able or Prescription Sunglasses
RX-able sunglasses and goggles can be fitted with prescription lenses either via optional inserts available for specific models only or directly into the sunglasses or goggles frames by your optician.
Prescription or RX-able Sunglasses and Goggles

Interchangeable Sunglasses
Interchangeale sunglasses are either supplied with, or have as optional extras, sets of interchangeable lenses. These are usually with different tints making the sunglasses or goggles suitable for a variety of different light conditions.
Interchangeable Sunglasses and Goggles

OTG or 'Over the Glasses' Sunglasses
As the name suggests these are sunglasses or goggles specifically designed to fit over prescription glasses.

Padded Sunglasses and Goggles
Designed to fit up close and snug to the face to keep out wind, dirt and dust.
Padded Sunglasses and Goggles

Motorcycle & Biking Sunglasses & Goggles
As with the choice of sunglasses so it is with motorcycle helmets. Some have inbuilt visors replacing the need for goggles but sunglasses must be chosen so that the arms will fit comfortably under the helmet. With open face helmets the choice of sunglasses or goggles is open to the rider.
Motorcycle & MX Sunglasses & Goggles

Other categories of sunglasses include driving sunglasses, aviator sunglasses and, of course, the ubiquitous leisure and fashion sunglasses.

Long term exposure to UV rays can damage the eye's surface and its internal structures. This can contribute to cataracts (clouding of the lens) and macular degeneration (breakdown of the macula). It is now recommened to wear sunglasses and a brimmed hat whenever in the sun.



UV (Ultraviolet Radiation) consists of the short, invisible rays from the sun that reach the earth's surface. These rays contain three separate bands: UVA (315-380 nm), UVB (290-315 nm) and UVC (100-290 nm). UVC rays are absorbed by the earth's atmosphere and do not reach the earth's surface and therefore do not relate to sunglass performance. UVB rays are the "sunburn" rays. Exposure to UVB rays can potentially produce harmful effects to your eyes and may be associated with cataracts and retinal damage. UVA rays are mostly absorbed within the lens of the human eye, debate over the potential effects of UVA exposure continues within the industry. Sunglass standards place limits on UVA and UVB exposure. UV radiation is strongest at high altitudes, low latitudes and in open or reflective environments (sand, snow or water).

Look for UV Protection
The ability to block UV light is not related to the darkness of the lens or indeed the price of sunglasses. In fact darker lenses may on the one hand put less strain on the eye, but on the other they may cause your pupil to dilate more thus letting in more of the UV that comes in from the sides of the sunglasses.

Both plastic and glass lenses will absorb some UV light, but this is vastly improved by chemicals added during manufacturing processes and/or by applying lens coatings.

Always look for sunglasses that are labelled as:

Blocking 99-100% of UV Rays

UV absorption up to 400nm

UV400 protection
The above statements all basically mean the same thing but different manufacturers like to tell it differently.

I was going to do a few paragraphs on European EN 1836-1997, American ANSI Z80.3-2001 and Australian AS 1067.1-1990 or Austraian AS/NZS 1067-2003 (from October 2004) standards. But I can see you all begining to glaze over with boredom at all this techie stuff but for those who really want to know you can check it out here

During the autumn and winter months, large or wraparound sunglasses provide the benefits of:

Less dazzle from the low winter sun

Increased protection from the wind and snow

Wraparound styles also minimise the UV coming in from the sides of the sunglasses

1) Ultraviolet rays are the most dangerous type of radiation. The majority of UV rays are absorbed by the atmosphere, but the quantity filtered is very variable. Those people nearest the equator and at high altitude will be in a thinner atmosphere. The effects of UV radiation are increased if reflected by surfaces such as snow, sand and water .

2) Water reflects approximately 20% radiation and sand reflects approx 10%. Snow reflects 85% and the intensity of the UV rays increases by about 10% with every 1,000 metres of height gained. It is advisable to have high wrap glasses in the mountains. The higher the relative humidity, the more dangerous the radiation.

3) Children, especially very young children have more fragile eyes than adults. UV absorption is total in babies and high under 13 years.

4) The tint in sunglasses is protecting you against dazzle, which is necessary in itself but dazzle is not harmful to the eyes. Lenses can give total UV protection even when clear. Heavily tinted glasses can do more harm than good as they cause the pupil of the eye to dilate so much, allowing in a lot of UV if the glasses do not have an adequate UV rating.

5) Lenses that are declared as optically correct are able to transmit a laser beam through them to a centred target with complete accuracy, and not deflect the beam off at an angle. Some lenses cannot do that, which can result in you misjudging your step when walking or making errors when driving.